Both recipients received $500 to assist in attending the 2014 Build Business Conference. Hosted by SMPS National, this conference is the premier business development, marketing, and management conference for design and building industry professionals, held in San Antonio, Texas this year.

Leah is the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, Inc. She has nine years of experience in marketing and business development for the architectural, engineering and construction industry and has been an active member of SMPS Alaska since its inception in 2011. Leah credits SMPS and the educational opportunities the organization offers with providing her the resources need to be successful in her career. “This will be the fifth national conference I have attended, and each year, I learn a tremendous amount relevant to my position, my firm’s marketing strategy and leadership in the industry. As I grow into a new role focused on managing the business development of my firm, I trust SMPS, and Build Business in particular, to provide me with the resources to succeed in this role”

Monica is the Alaska North Pacific Division Marketing Manager for DOWL HKM and has more than 10 years of experience in marketing and business development. This is the first year she will be attending the conference. “I’m looking forward to spending a few days with other SMPS members who are as excited about learning something new as I am, and with whom I can build positive working relationships,” says Monica. She plans to attend the Basics of Business Development preconference workshop and numerous conference breakout sessions in hopes of bringing valuable information and ideas back to her firm.

This year marked SMPS Alaska Chapter's inaugural Conference Grant program. Awarded twice a year, these grants assist SMPS Alaska members in attending the SMPS Pacific Regional Conference and SMPS Build Business Conference with $500 toward registration fees. The Chapter has distributed a total of $3,500 in grants and scholarships in 2014.

Founded in 2011, the SMPS Alaska Chapter’s mission is to advocate for, educate and connect leaders in the building industry. SMPS’ vision is for premier professional service firms to recognize SMPS as their most trusted resource for building business and achieving success. The SMPS community works to secure profitable business relationships for their architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) companies through networking, business intelligence, and research. SMPS Alaska Chapter is the only professional services-focused organization in the state. In its second year, they received SMPS National’s Striving for Excellence Award for Outstanding Medium-Sized Chapter.